Interestingly, in past times, the church (not the state) reached out to the needy of our community, and workers set a portion of their pay away into friendly society schemes such as 'Oddfellows' etc to cover the entire family in times of need.

With their stripped beams, wooden floors and rolltop baths, the former servants' quarters at the Oddfellows bar and restaurant 01244 400001, oddfellows.biz, doubles from £175, room only make four decadent guest rooms, though be warned that noise filters up from the bar – there's live music from an acoustic band on Thursdays.